


Wings

by Tamesiss



Series: Other side of the wind [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, Beauxbatons, Original Character(s), Transfiguration (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 23:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17374961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamesiss/pseuds/Tamesiss
Summary: Special thanks to holyfant for being an awesome Bèta!





	Wings

The thunder rumbled through the palace walls. Excitement coursed through her veins as she looked through the window, up to the white stripes slashing the clouds overhead. She’d been waiting seven weeks for this moment. Superb timing, indeed. She caught the eye of her Metamorphose teacher, mademoiselle Ovidia. The mixture of panic and longing must have been written plainly on her face, because with a little smile around her lips, the professor dismissed her with a nod of her head. The other students in the classroom looked up startled from their books as Anaïs scurried out the door. This was it! It was finally happening. Was she absolutely sure she hadn’t missed a single incantation? Had no one disturbed the potion? She had to mentally reprimand herself. Of course everything had gone exactly as prescribed. There was a calendar pinned above her desk, to mark every sunset and sunrise after the incantation. The potion was locked in her night stand, protected by several spells and charms.

Of course, there was no accounting for messing up the ingredients. The first time she had tried her hand at making the potion, it had turned out a murky, brownish drab. Ovidia concluded someone must have stepped on the grass where the dew had been collected. But  _this time_ , Anaïs had spared no effort in making sure all the ingredients were exactly right, gathered under the precise conditions the ritual called for. And yet, her fingers trembled when she was picking at the lock of the nightstand in her pale blue room. She finally managed to open the intricately carved door. One deep breath. She didn’t dare look at the little crystal phial she lifted from inside. Would it work? At last, she mustered the courage to examine its contents. Bright red. Not exactly the colour of fresh blood, a bit more translucent, but she was sure this was it. 

Glee and adrenaline rushed through her veins as Anaïs hastily made her way through the splendid hallways of the palace to the spare classroom in the Metamorphose wing, another courtesy of Ovidia. She positioned a floor-length mirror in the corner so that she would be able to see herself throughout and after the ritual. The only thing else in the room were a bunch of pillows, should she need them. After carefully locking the door, she went to stand right in the middle of the room, facing the mirror. Her heartbeat was painfully strong in her chest as she placed the tip of her wand over it. “Amato Animo Animato Animagus”. The words reverberated through her entire being. She quickly chugged the mouthful of potion. Her own steady heartbeat was joined by a second, more rapid one. A fiery pain spread like lightning through her body as both the phial and her wand dropped to the ground. Her vision went blurry, shapes and colours all swirled in front of her, but in her mind’s eye a form began to take shape. She could discern wings and talons. Dizzy, she fell down on her knees. Only, she didn’t. Her legs just… shrunk. Her skin tingled and prickled all over. Was it the animal’s hair growing? Or probably feathers? She couldn’t tell for certain, sensations just continued to mix and mingle everywhere. Her head felt light and small, her arms unusually heavy.

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, but after a while things slowly started to return to normal. Somewhere in the process she must have closed her eyes. When she opened them, the world was incredibly bright and full of remarkable colours she had never seen before. As her eyes began to adjust, everything became sharper as well, more texturised. Focusing on different objects was much easier than she was used to, her eyes accommodating the slightest change. The world was askew, though. Lifting her head, she examined her body. There was a heap of feathers beneath her, her legs folded awkwardly beneath it. Moving them was unsettling, but she managed to balance her body after a few tries by spreading her arms. Well, wings, actually. She looked at them in amazement; they were huge! Turning her head once more, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Carefully she waddled closer to get a better look. Two bright greenish yellow eyes looked back from over a sharply curved black beak. The colour was all the more astonishing as it was offset by a dark brownish black mask curving around her eyes to the back of her head. A gracious body was covered in small, grey feathers, while her long, strong wings were adorned with a deep brown layer of down. There was a small, oddly shaped patch of bright blue feathers at her left shoulder, exactly where her bright blue niffler tattoo would have been. I guess that’s my defining feature then, Anaïs thought to herself. Slowly, she tried folding her wings next to her body. How on earth did birds make it seem so easy all the time? There were so many joints and muscles to move! 

After a few more times of folding and opening, there was a soft rap on the door.   
“Anaïs?” the voice of Mademoiselle Ovidia floated in. “Are you alright? Did it work?”  
Anaïs tried to answer, but the only sound coming through her throat was a soft screech.  
“It did, by the sound of it!” answered Mms Ovidia. “I’m coming in, don’t be startled. Alohomora.” Three soft ticks on the lock, and in came the yellow robes of the voluptuous Metamorphose Teacher. “That went splendidly, it seems. Give us a turn! A bird indeed… We’ll have to look up which kind later on! Have you tried flying? Well, of course you have! I bet it would be easier to float, though. Maybe we ought to move in a few chairs and ladders, for practice! Oh my, what a gorgeous blue!” Ovidia’s fingers had grazed the little spot on Anaïs’ shoulder while the touched, probed and prodded her pupil. Obligingly, Anaïs had tried to answer and accommodate her, but was getting kind of tired of it. An animalistic spur of annoyance urged her to peck at her teacher.  
“I’m sorry, child, I just haven’t seen anyone actually completing the ritual.” 

“Now, let’s try and change back into human form, shall we? Then you can tell me all about it and we can get on with the paperwork involved. Wouldn’t want to end up in Nurmengard, do we now. Alright, just focus on yourself as a human. See your face before you, imagine how it feels to move again.” Try as she might, Anaïs was having trouble seeing herself clearly. If she was being completely honest, she’d rather go out and try to fly. But Ovidia was probably right. Plenty of time to do that after this reversed transformation worked as well. She’d need to practice anyway, for it to go smoothly. She focused on her hair, first. The way the soft, golden locks would sweep across her neck and blow about in the wind. She tried picturing her face, but only her dark grey eyes seemed to come to mind. She willed her lips, her cheekbones, her eybrows to form in her mind. Once satisfied that this was her face, she felt something bubbling on her skin. The rest of her body came swiftly. The bumpy elbows, the curve of her hips, her strong, almost masculine legs and oversized feet. The bubbling intensified and she could feel her limbs starting to stretch. Just like that, Anaïs' human shape was standing up straight again. The look she got from her teacher was obviously proud, but mixed with a bit of envy. Well, let her taste that awful leaf for months on end, Anaïs thought. Nonetheless, she was beaming with pride and joy herself. She had done it! She had successfully become an Animagus

 

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to holyfant for being an awesome Bèta!


End file.
